WEF: What the 20 Top Tech Firms Say About AI at Work

Thanks to advances in AI, companies across industries – and around the world – are now re-engineering their day-to-day operations around machine intelligence. 

The latest paper from the World Economic Forum (WEF), AI at Work: From Productivity Hacks to Organisational Transformation, shares a glimpse of how more than 20 of the world’s most influential technology companies – and their clients – are redefining the nature of work in the intelligent age.

The report has been released as some of the globe’s most influential companies and global leaders alike travel to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026, also known as Davos.

Here, leaders from 25 firms – including Cisco, ServiceNow, Pegasystems and Wipro – will formalise a joint pledge to expand access to AI tools, enhance global digital skills and enable new routes into “AI-native” jobs. 

The initiative is expected to affect more than 120 million people by 2030.

How AI is transforming workflows

Three years on from the launch of ChatGPT, AI’s impact on the workplace is undeniable.

From triaging legal contracts to flagging financial anomalies and overhauling healthcare processes, organisations are leveraging AI to streamline their operations like never seen before.

In an example put forward by WEF, one firm analysed months of tax data and reams of regulation to uncover US$120m in savings, trimming a filing process from weeks to just three days. 

Another, it says, reduced a 30-minute lab-ordering procedure to just seconds, saving 30,000 hours annually.

This shows that the real gains come not from bolt-on automation but through structural redesign around AI. 

Nathan Jokel, Cisco’s SVP of Corporate Strategy and Alliances, says: “Across multiple industries, we already see gains as AI enables individual employees to complete tasks more quickly and accurately. However, the bulk of the opportunity is yet ahead of us. 

“The greatest transformation will come as organisations redesign workflows from the ground up around AI and invest in advanced AI skills for their teams.”

The impact on the career ladder

AI’s influence on career paths is as deep as its impact on workflows. 

This shift isn’t just confined to entry-level workers, though – WEF has found that mid-level roles could be under greater pressure. 

Thanks to AI, junior employees now advance faster, using intelligence-powered copilots and knowledge assistants to take part in client meetings and complex discussions once reserved for experienced staff.

Hala Zeine, SVP and Chief Strategy Officer at ServiceNow, says that these changes are already happening – and will continue to accelerate. 

“Looking ahead, we will work with AI to support us in decision-making, take on repetitive but necessary tasks and allow us to focus on meaningful work,” she says.

“It is inevitable – we will see org charts incorporate AI agents as formal team members alongside humans, assigning them defined responsibilities and performance metrics, which signals a clear shift towards hybrid human-AI teams.”

The cultural shift

Productivity continues to be a core driver when it comes to AI, WEF finds, but executives also cite less tangible benefits. 

Along with productivity, AI is helping reduce burnout, cut repetition and make work more engaging, those working with WEF on the study say. 

The body finds that employees spend more time problem-solving and less time processing because of the implementation of AI. 

Some organisations even use AI tools to personalise learning and communication training – which could mean that happiness and cultural cohesion may become as measurable as output efficiency.

The Communications and Technology community at the World Economic Forum acknowledges its vital role in shaping this transformation. 

At this year’s instalment of Davos, industry leaders from 25 global companies will endorse the “Commitment to Creating Economic Opportunities for All in the Intelligent Age”.

This initiative, set to positively affect more than 120 million people by 2030, will be guided by three core pillars:

• Access: Ensure workers have affordable or free access to AI tools, with careful consideration of language, cultural and socioeconomic differences
• Skills: Empower workers worldwide with digital and human capabilities essential for thriving in AI-augmented roles
• Job pathways: Open tangible routes into AI-native careers through apprenticeships, skills-based recruitment and local engagement initiatives.

Ajay Bhaskar, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Wipro, says “The tech industry does not just innovate gadgets or solutions – it shapes the future direction of economies and societies. 

“As AI becomes deeply embedded in our lives, it is imperative for the sector to be proactive and lead the way in developing the broader workforce in the context of a Human+AI future.”

Building trust and governance

Despite advances to working environments and the people within them, scaling AI use still depends on trust. 

For heavily regulated sectors, predictability and oversight are non-negotiable. 

Steve Rudolph, VP of Strategy and Transformation at Pegasystems, says: “AI serves different purposes at design time versus run time. 

“At design time, AI drives innovation and creativity – variability in outputs is acceptable as we explore possibilities. 

“At run time in operational environments, especially in regulated industries like banking, healthcare and insurance, we need predictability and traceability. 

“AI must be orchestrated to ensure consistent, auditable outcomes rather than operating as an unpredictable black box.”

The transformation of work, the Forum notes, is already irreversible. 

The challenge now is ensuring it unfolds as a collective human-AI partnership – enhancing prosperity rather than deepening inequality.